Product Description In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:
? Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty ? Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations ? Plan projects as well as get them unstuck ? Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed ? Feel fine about what you're not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
Amazon.com Review With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance.
Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)
As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"
That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy
A Done Deal November 22, 2008 Like most people who try endlessly to organize their lives, I came to this book after working on myself for years, hoping to improve my productivity. So it was refreshing to hear the author point out the fallacies of most of the systems I've tried, mainly the daily `to do' list. Allen shows how in most work environments, priorities shift from moment to moment. Therefore, you need an approach that's flexible and doesn't leave you discouraged at the end of the day as you stare at a long list of things you didn't accomplish. If you're a visual learner like me, you'll find the flow charts in the book extremely valuable. I enlarged one on a copy machine and put it up on my wall to guide my incoming flow of paper, tasks, and appointments. It's a quick read loaded with practical advice you can start using right away.
I also found Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, by Ariel and Shya Kane is a very helpful book. The authors show how our habitual ways of operating get us locked in a cycle of frustration, and keep us from seeing the endless possibilities life offers in each moment. This brand new edition of the original book has some terrific new content, as well as an index for easy reference of key concepts and the unforgettable real-life stories. If you have the previous edition, it's well worth getting the current one as well. You can't read this book too many times.
Getting Bored. Hopefully I can get things done in my sleep November 21, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The hardest thing is finishing this book. I will not be able to get this thing done!
Are people getting paid to write 5 star reviews?
As we speak, I am listening to the audiobook of "Getting Things Done" and falling asleep. To stay awake, I am writing this review. There must be an art to getting through this book.
To save some time and money, go to Office Depot and buy organization supplies and skip this audiobook
Great concepts, a bit wordy November 20, 2008 The book has some very practical advice on organizing tasks and small projects. It adheres to some principals that seem to work well, especially in reducing stress caused from not being organized.
I found the book a bit wordy in spots and slightly difficult to understand on a first read. I had to read several sections twice to get the full meaning.
Great book! November 18, 2008 This has been a great resource to get organized both at home and at work. This is definitely the best book I have read on this subject and would recommend it to anyone who is "stuck" and overwhelmed wtih paperwork and piles. With 4 kids and a small business it has worked wonders for me.
Masterful Workflow Advice for the Busy Professional November 15, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was first exposed to 'Getting Things Done' (GTD) a few years back in an article about prolific modern knowledge workers and how they thrive amidst a frantic, constant information flow. The very best manage thousands of demands for attention each and every week (emails, voicemails, meetings, etc.) while completing a steady stream of projects both large and small. David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' presents a framework for doing just that while also achieving a sense of personal calm and heightened creativity. I've returned to this book many times over the years to tweak my own GTD implementation and David Allen never fails to inspire. Highly recommended.
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